Pay By Touch aims to bring biometric payments to web

Pay By Touch -- the company behind the fingerprint scanners in supermarkets like Piggly Wiggly and Albertsons -- is planning to make biometric payments the norm on the web as well. The company's new service, Pay By Touch Online, aims to create a standard for biometric hardware and software (and bring the company a lot more customers for its backend processing services, as well). Pay By Touch says it expects to certify millions of scanners this year, and that its service "diminishes consumers' fears and increases customer satisfaction" by allowing customers to use a fingerprint instead of a credit card to pay for online purchases. As with other alternative payment systems that require additional hardware (you do have a smartcard reader for that chip in your Amex Blue card, right?), we don't exactly expect this to take the world by storm, though it could be useful for financial institutions -- and the ultra-paranoid.

[David Hopewell @ Feb 6th 2006 3:12PM]

Farm Fresh in Tidewater Virginia also has these machines, although I refuse to give up a copy of my prints for mere convienience. Also, AmEx Blue now uses RFID instead of the SIM/SmartCard.

[John @ Feb 6th 2006 3:48PM]

I know this has been argued to death, but credit cards are much better at solving this problem. You can hide them in a wallet most of the time, and if it's ever compromised, you can cancel it and get a replacement. Those are hard things to do with fingerprints.

[Mr. Tips @ Feb 6th 2006 4:04PM]

I figured the ultra-paranoid would be too scared to use this?

[Wes Felter @ Feb 6th 2006 4:06PM]

2005: Criminals steal your credit card number from an online database and use it to rack up charges. You cancel the card and move on.
2006: Criminals steal your credit card number AND fingerprint from an online database and use it to rack up charges. You can't change your fingerprint.

[NeoteriX @ Feb 6th 2006 4:33PM]

Interestingly enough, the security of a good alphanumeric password is much better than that of your fingerprint. A fingerprint is like 1/2000 for probability of duplication.

[Bobak Kamaei @ Feb 6th 2006 4:57PM]

wow

Mr Frank sounds like my head teacher, he is a total liveregister fanboy (http://www.liveregister.co.uk/). I am not totally sure on how "datapoints" work but at school we have had cases of the register system registering people as someone else.

no offence or anything frank but you sound like a some sort of salesman (and if you are take it as a compliment).

even if pay by touch is safer, the implementation costs and problems that surrounds it would defiantly outweigh the apparent "time saving" and "security" advantages. that is without even mentioning the moral issues many people have with these systems moving us closer to a police state.

[Bobak Kamaei @ Feb 6th 2006 5:12PM]

Your comments: wowMr Frank sounds like my head teacher, he is a total
liveregister fanboy (http://www.liveregister.co.uk/).
I am not totally sure on how "datapoints" work but at school we have
had cases of the register system registering people as someone
else.no offence or anything frank but you sound like a some
sort of salesman (and if you are take it as a
compliment).even if pay by touch is safer, the implementation
costs and problems that surrounds it would defiantly outweigh the
apparent "time saving" and "security" advantages. that is without
even mentioning the moral issues many people have with these systems
moving us closer to a police state.

[Jay G. @ Feb 6th 2006 6:25PM]

This begs the question.... what's harded
To steal a someones finger....or thier credit card

[sean @ Feb 6th 2006 6:41PM]

Well this just means if you steal a laptop remebrr to put a peice of scotch tape on the reader and will read the fingerprint, or lets see it has to be in the memory too. i garuntee within a week it will be hacked. goddam companies are stuppid. rfid, finger prints, retna scanners, WTF are they smoking. cause i want some j/k.

[sean @ Feb 6th 2006 6:47PM]

and as of reading pulse or temp that doesnt matter warm water through a pump "WOW SO FREAKIN HARD". and 40/1000 is still pretty easy to figure out. if you know anything about security you will NOT waste your money on this system. as NeoteriX a simple alpha numeric password is still more secure.

[Deluxe @ Feb 6th 2006 7:06PM]

For all you weeners out there crying about RFID being the devil, HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE 21ST CENTURY!

I'd like to awaken you to reality, here in tokyo - yesterday I got on the train to work using my mobile phone ( Mobile SuiCa, RFID ). I paid for lunch using my mobile phone ( EDY, RFID ), and also bought a DVD from an online store using my mobile phone, ( EDY, RFID ) on my laptop's EDY scanner.

This is common place here in Tokyo. It is no longer a requirement to carry around cash, coins and cards. Tens of Millions of people do this every day, not just in Japan but in Hong Kong, Korea and other places too.

Just keep in mind that your ameture security analysis is exactaly that, and let the people who make your life easier do their jobs.

Cheers.

[crzdmn @ Feb 6th 2006 7:40PM]

Interesting...
1) To steal a fingerprint you are forced to get close to someone, closer than to steal a credit card number, or mail for that matter.
2) RFIDs are a brilliant idea, and cheap.
3) Finger Print USB scanners are 49.99.
4) All this "new" technology uses the same software to integrate with the financial systems as current online credit card processors.
5) The government most likely already has your prints. What good are they without legal cause to have them?
6) Simple algorithms can detect repetative usage of the same "datapoints" and notify the person.
7) Ever notice how a financial institution can find you almost anywhere even when the police can't? It works the same way when getting an ip address and tracing where something came from, inparticular a financial charge.

That 70's Show is on!
Peace

[Ima Pseudonym @ Feb 6th 2006 11:50PM]

Gummy bear fingers created from a residual fingerprint left on a glass.

Hack the fingerprint databases, set accuracy tolerances to a low percentile, yada yada yada.

[Ima Pseudonym @ Feb 6th 2006 11:54PM]

Watch out if your teen suddenly has cravings for gummy bears!

[Bhagiratha @ Feb 7th 2006 12:06AM]

I was wondering if there is a biometric finger print scanner for the mac systems. I know there are plenty for PC's... but what about for the Mac?

[Nalag @ Feb 7th 2006 6:25AM]

With fingerprints... I dont think it matters if the "data points" are copy-able or not. As long as you have the original prints... the scanner and the pay-by-touch software will generate these for you when you scan with a "fake finger" right? :(

There is no way that the cheap scanners on the laptop shown will have liveness detection.

J.Frank.. please tell me i am wrong.. seeking answers here.

[Jake @ Feb 7th 2006 8:34AM]

he he he... there might be a good racket in rich peoples fingers soon!

[John B. Frank @ Feb 9th 2006 7:59AM]

Nalag: As you per your request...you are. Meanwhile, industry "experts" named Pay by Touch as a 2006 Inny Award Winner.

Sheila Grinell from The Tech Museum of Innovation, a DEMO partner, announced The Tech's selections for its INNY Awards.

INNYs are bestowed on DEMO innovations that will impact people's lives and reinforce The Tech's mission to inspire the innovator in everyone.

These DEMO 2006 INNY Award- winners' products will soon be available for the public to experience and explore at The Tech Museum:

* Pay By Touch and three more.

DEMO is the technology industry's premier emerging technology launch venue where investors, executives, and journalists come to discover the most significant new products and trends that will shape the marketplace in the coming 12 - 18 months.

So what exactly is DEMO 2006?

70 new technologies. 2 days. 1 place.
Rigorously screened from hundreds of technologies from around the world, you'll see only the most significant, relevant and viable.

The ones that exemplify and lead emerging trends. We do all the vetting so you can do a lot of business in a very efficient two days.

At DEMO, it's all about technology.
This is a show like no other. Each company who launches here, regardless of size, faces the same screening process. Marketing budgets must be checked at the door. It's technology vs. technology on a level field.

Hold what the future holds - literally.
Do you like to try a technology before you invest or purchase for your enterprise? DEMO puts the proof in your hands. You'll have ample opportunity to personally take an innovation through its paces. To speak directly with its creators. To know what you're holding is real.

Real technologies. Real Innovations.
What you're about to see is real. Palm launched here, as did Java and TiVo. Products from last year are being distributed nationwide by Circuit City and T-Mobile. If your goal is investment or deployment, at DEMO you'll find 70 technologies that could give you a real competitive advantage.